Llandaff vs Kirkby

Match report

Forty-five minutes of absolute nothing to open the season. Not even a misplaced pass to keep things interesting. Just two sets of players cautiously orbiting each other like nervous teenagers at a disco.

The deadlock breaks in the 57th. It is exclusive. I have it confirmed. Ikenna Etuk-Idongesit finds a pocket of space and slips a ball through to Jovino Aimar-Ríos. He finishes it clinically. 0-1. The momentum shifts instantly. Kirkby suddenly remember they are playing a game of football and start acting like it.

Llandaff spend the next twenty minutes looking vaguely panicked. They try a high press that mostly just involves running into each other. It is a brave effort. It is also entirely ineffective.

Then comes the 81st minute. Carlo Daviddi produces a moment of genuine quality from open play to make it 1-1. He scores it with a certain lack of grace that suggests he was surprised the ball actually went in. The result is settled. Personal terms.

The final ten minutes are a slow crawl toward the finish. Both sides decide that a point is probably the most they can hope for on a damp Saturday in August. They settle for it.

Llandaff get another chance to prove they aren't just making it up as they go along next week.